Brother Songs
by Crawcolady
Summary: AU-multi-verse crossover-some of my favorite characters in NCIS and other verses seem to have a lot in common-Things like intelligence, curiosity, sense of honor, compassion, and a need to "make things right". What if these unique individuals were bonded together by unimaginable events, proving that families are not always tied by blood but tried by fire.


**This is a multi-verse crossover. It occurred to me last night while working on "You Gotta Hold On" that some of my favorite characters in NCIS and other verses seem to have a lot in common. Things like intelligence, curiosity, sense of honor, compassion, and a need to "make things right". In the dawning of that realization, this story was born. For now, it is a one-shot, however, I may return to the universe sometime in the future if I see any readers would be interested.**

**No - I don't own them, I just take them out to play every now and then. I promise I won't ****_permanently_**** break them, just toy with them a little. **

Seeing that all was quiet in the bullpen as he rounded the corner from the back stairs, Gibbs paused a moment to observe the members of his team without their knowledge. They had just finished with a three day case and were now on downtime, wrapping up the paperwork. The three were quietly working for a change, no sign of horseplay, just his three "kids" working hard on finishing their reports, probably hoping that he would release them to go home after they were finished. He watched as Tim finished his work, made a few additional keystrokes, then started to rise as the printer started pushing out the pages of his report. He retrieved a file folder from a drawer in his desk and moved over to the printer to retrieve his finished product. He placed the pages neatly inside the folder and turned to place the folder on Gibb's desk. Gibbs stiffened when he saw his youngest agent stop suddenly, a hand going to his head as if in pain. He surged into a run as he watched Tim's face pale, then cry out in a choked, desperate voice, "Ray? Ray! Where . . ."

As fast as Gibbs moved, Tony was there before him and managed to catch his friend as Tim's knees suddenly buckled, nearly sending both of them to the floor. He helped Tony sit his stricken friend on the floor with his back against the Team Leader's desk and heard his voice breaking, barely whispering "Ray? Ray? Where are you? Ray?" Turning , Gibbs barked out to Ziva, "Call Ducky! Get him up here!"

Turning back, "Tim? Tim, what's wrong?" looking searchingly in his youngest agent's eyes, he saw no recognition in his gaze, just a look of such devastation, despair, and fear that his gut clenched uncomfortably. "Tim, come on, Son, look at me!"

"Gibbs!" Looking up at the balcony above them, Gibbs saw the director standing at the rail looking as shaken as he had ever seen him, phone forgotten in his hand, "Get him upstairs, Conference room 1! No ambulance! Help is on the way. Just . . . get him up here as soon as you can, and stay with him! It's important, no leaving him alone, for any reason!"

As Vance spoke, the elevator doors opened and Ducky, followed closely by Jimmy, entered at a run. Placing an arm around each of their shoulders, Gibbs and Tony lift Tim, mildly surprised at his light weight, and assist him to the elevator, taking it to the upper floor rather than try the stairs. Ducky lead the way to the conference room, they sat Tim on the sofa, leaning him against the back cushion, each taking a seat beside him. Ducky busied himself checking Tim's vital signs, watching his face closely.

"What happened, Tony?" Ducky asked.

"I have no idea, Duck! I was working on my report, remember seeing McGee printing his and putting it on Boss's desk, and suddenly he just kinda froze for a minute, went pale, said something, and then headed for the floor. I went for him when I saw him go pale and barely caught him before he face-planted. I have no idea what just happened!" came Tony's shake reply.

"Ray." said Ziva.

"What?" asked Tony in confusion.

"Ray. That is what Tim said before he fell. He called out for someone named Ray." was Ziva's distracted reply.

"Duck?" asked Gibbs.

"Well, Jethro. He is showing classic signs of shock. His blood pressure is very low, he is withdrawn-almost unresponsive, and his heart rate is unsteady." was the answer from the ME. "Whatever happened, it is something devastating to Timothy."

They all looked up as the door opened and Vance walked quickly in the room carrying a small plastic bag that he handed of to Ziva. "Agent David, would you mind going to the break room and mixing McGee some tea? No sugar, no cream, just mix it strong and make sure it is not too hot when you bring it in. He needs to drink it as soon as possible." He nodded his thanks as she took the bag and turned to leave the room. He spared a glance for Gibbs and told him, "You'll learn more soon, but I just received a call that Tim's brother was killed this morning." Approaching the sofa where Tim was sitting quietly, Leon knelt down to be level with the young man and laid a comforting hand on his knee. "Tim? Tim, Fox is on the way. He should be here soon. Hang on, your brother is on the way."

Showing the only sign of life since his collapse, Tim tilted his head up to acknowledge the director's words. "Fox? Is coming?" came the breathy voice, little more than a broken whisper, "Ray. Ray is gone. He won't answer me! I can't . . . I won't go back! Never, never, never . . . Where's Ray?" His voice had risen in a bit of panic at the end, in a way that none of the people in the room had ever heard from him before.

"Tim! Listen to me!" Leon's hand on Tim's leg tightened just a bit to get his attention. "Fox is on his way! You don't have to worry. You won't go back, you will NEVER go back. It is over, remember? Soon Fox will be here and you can relax a little. Blair and Jim are also on the way, and Daniel and Jack should be here soon after Fox. You are safe here. None of us will let anything happen to you!" Leon assured Tim seriously, just as the door opened and Ziva returned with the tea for Tim. Handing it over to Director Vance, she watched as he handed the tea to Gibbs and gestured for him to see if he could get Tim to drink.

Gibbs was full of questions, but he knew that this was not the time to ask them. His main concern was his hurting agent. "Tim?" Gibbs asked quietly. "Tim, here, try some of this. Just a sip. Slowly now." he said, with just a hint of "the Boss" in his voice. "Good Tim, have another now. It should help." Slowly he managed to get his stricken agent to drink the cup of tea, slightly reassured when he saw a bit of clarity showing in those wide, shockingly green eyes.

"Tim. It's the tea that Blair left for you." the director encouraged while watching Gibbs coaxing Tim into drinking. "Blair wants you to drink it. He said it is important. You have had the tea before, remember? It will help until Fox gets here." just then he was interrupted by the ringing of the phone in his pocket. Answering quickly, he responded in a relieved voice, "Yes, send them up, please. Conference room one, Agent Fornell knows where it is."

"Tim. Fox is here. He is coming upstairs right now. Dana and Fornell are bringing him. Hang on, son." and all of them looked at the door as it opened.

First through the door was an attractive red-headed woman, dressed smartly in a dark suit with white blouse under her jacket. She was followed by Tobias Fornell leading a rather pale and shaky brunette man who appeared to be in his late 20's possibly early 30's. Gibbs judged the man to be approximately 6' tall and around 170-180 pounds.

Fornell led the man to McGee and helped him kneel on the floor in front of the clearly distraught young agent. "McGee, Fox is here. Look," he said gently as the young man's head raised slowly.

"Fox? Oh, Fox!" Tim exclaimed, throwing himself from his seat on the sofa into the arms of the man before him. "Ray! I can't find Ray. He won't answer! Please, make him answer!"

The man identified as Fox would have landed on the floor if it hadn't been for the swift action of Tony and Fornell bracing him as he tightly grasped the shaking body of the younger man. Helping maneuver "Fox" as he swung himself around with his back to the sofa, they watched as he held Tim tightly, lightly petting his hair and gently rubbing his back, trying to comfort him.

Gibbs knelt on one knee beside them and looked at the pair quizzically. "You are?"

"Fox Mulder, FBI from here in DC." came the distracted answer. "Leon, they have a lot of questions. They are Tim's other family. As soon as Daniel and Blair get here, read them in."

Leon Vance just looked at Fox with an unreadable expression, "Uh, I'll have to contact SecNav first." he stated uncomfortably.

"No you don't. I give you permission, and if Jarvis doesn't like it, maybe I will see about getting a different SecNav." was Mulder's quiet reply as he just stared at Vance.

Eyebrows raised around the room at that statement and "Team Gibbs" waited with baited breath for the explosion that they knew was imminent. To their surprise, Vance just turned and brought a chair forward, closer to the group at the couch. Sitting down, he started to speak, even as he watched Mulder holding McGee in his arms.

"Wait." Gibbs requested. Turning to Mulder he asked, "How do you know Tim?"

"Simple," Fox replied. His next statement floored those in the room that were waiting to hear Vance's story. Looking down into the now-sleeping face of the young man in his arms, he said quietly, "He's my little brother."

Just as the room was about to explode with questions, the sound of the director's phone was heard again.

"Yes?" He answered. "They are here already? Alright, please escort them up. Yes, Conference Room One. Oh, and have some more chairs brought into the room, please?" he added as an afterthought. Soon there was a light knock on the door and Vance beckoned "Come!"

The door opened to reveal an Air Force Colonel with a young blond-haired man who looked to be no older than Tim, and a -faced man with military bearing accompanied by another young man who looked slightly older than Tim. Both young men looked shaken, but both immediately claimed places alongside Fox, looking at him anxiously. The older of the two, the one with the long curling auburn hair, asked "How is he?"

"Your tea helped, Blair, but there is only so much, so far that we can help, you know?" was Mulder's soft reply. "He's in shock, grief-stricken, and terrified out of his mind right now."

"I kinda know the feeling" came the soft-spoken reply from the blond-haired man. "Tim, man, Tim has to be . . . I don't even have the words . . ."

The serious auburn-haired man said "Fox, think we can change places? I think Jim and I can help. I know Jim can help shield him, that will give him some time to heal. Danny, you and Jack can go next."

Gibbs watched as the men on the floor shuffled things around until Tim was lying in the lap of the long-haired man, with Fox and the other sitting on each side of them, both holding on to Tim, laying a hand on his arm, or carding through his hair. The older man with the military bearing sat on the couch behind them, one leg on either side of the man holding Tim. Tim lay still, as though deeply asleep. For some reason, Gibbs was uneasy, believing without knowing why, that while Tim was quiescent, that did not necessarily mean that he was sleeping.

Attention turned to the Director again as he cleared his throat. "Okay, first let's get the introductions out of the way. Turning to the newcomers, he stated. "Obviously, you all know who I am, but this is Tim's team leader, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and his teammates, Special Agents Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David. This is our Medical Examiner, Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, and his assistant, Jimmy Palmer."

The Air Force Colonel took up the introductions, "Jack O'Neill, Air Force, and Daniel Jackson, Civilian Consultant to the Air Force, both out of Cheyenne Mountain."

Attention then turned to the man seated on the sofa, "James Ellison, Detective Sargent with the Major Crimes Unit out of Cascade Washington, and Blair Sandburg, Civilian Consultant and Criminal Anthropologist for our unit."

Eyes turned to Fornell, "Tobias Fornell, FBI Assistant Director, and this is Agent Dana Scully, Fox Mulder you have already met.

"Okay, now that the introductions are out of the way, besides Mulder, what do you all have to do with my agent and what happened to him today? What caused this?" ground out Gibbs in frustration.

Vance started to say something, but Ellison beat him to it. "Let me tell it, Leon. I was there, I can answer questions better than you."

James Ellison turned to Gibbs. "You are former military?"

"Marine Gunnery Sargent, Firearms Expert, and Sniper." came Gibbs answer.

"Do you remember an incident in the Army, fourteen years ago now, when an Army Ranger thought dead for almost eighteen months was recovered from the jungles of Peru?" Ellison asked.

Casting his mind back, Gibbs remembered the media buzz about the incident. He didn't remember a lot about it, it was just after a very trying time of his life, and he hadn't really paid much attention to the media blitz at the time. "Wait a minute, that Army Ranger, James Joseph Ellison, that was **_you_**?" He asked in amazement.

"Yes, that was me. I don't remember a lot about the early time I was there. I remember our helo going down. I vaguely remember burying the members of my unit. I remember being found by a native tribal unit and being taken in by their shaman, Incacha. As I healed, I helped in the village as much as I could. Incacha taught me to speak their language. I was taught to hunt and track in the native way. And I gradually learned about an area of the jungle that they stayed far away from. They told me that it was a place of great evil, that there were intruders there and anyone who had wandered that way never returned, and I learned that they were very afraid of whatever was going on there. Incacha especially was angry about a "desecration" that was going on. He told me that innocents were being harmed there, and their spirits were being broken." his eyes turned to the auburn-haired young man and he reached his hand out and placed it on top of his head. His voice grew distant as his eyes clouded, "Incacha was so upset about what was going on there, that I decided to go on a scouting mission that direction. I'm glad I decided to go when I did. If I had waited any longer . . ."

Fox looked up from watching Blair and Tim, and reached out a hand to Jim, touching his arm. "Jim, you came when the spirits led you. You had no idea what was going on there. No-one did. They planned it that way. You saved us. All of us. Remember, we are here, and we are safe because of you."

Jim looked back at Fox, still combing his fingers through Blair's hair. "I just wish . . ."

"No, it was as it was meant to be. Remember that, Jim." came Blair's soft voice with a lace of strength in the words.

"There was a facility, a place where a non-government-sanctioned experiment by American personnel, there in the jungle. The first day, I only scouted the outside, observing the coming and going, looking for weaknesses in their security. During the day it did not seem to be all that strong, but when night fell, the security doubled. I waited until the next day and made my way inside. Inside, I found . . ." his voice broke off and he looked brokenly at the men on the floor before him.

"Go on, Jim." Blair told him. "We have heard it many times before. We lived through it."

Ellison took a moment to gather himself, "I went silently through the facility until I found a records room. It was empty, and I found files-Files that told the story of the experiments they were doing with genetics and DNA sequencing. Apparently they had five test subjects, and what I read filled me with such a fury, I have trouble remembering my exact actions. I do know that I killed at least 9 men that day. When I entered the heart of their facility, I opened one door and found myself face to face with a young man who was determined to fight me to the death. It was Ray, the oldest of the test subjects. He was eighteen years old. It took a while to make him understand that I meant no harm to him or his "brothers", but that I was going to take them away from that place. I knew that I needed some record of what was going on there, so I stashed some of the files I had found, including the ones on each of the "test subjects", and lead the boys to freedom." He looked down at Tim sadly, "I had to carry the youngest, he was too weak, too . . . damaged . . . to walk, Ray helped Daniel, and Fox and Blair helped each other. I took them back to the village where Incacha immediately took them in. He "doctored" each of them according to their need, and he and I helped with what was later described to me a PTSD, but I know that is not really what it was. There was something very . . . different . . . about the boys, I didn't know what it was at the time. Heck, I still barely understand it, but" and he looked up at the others in the room, "I would still to this day fight and die for any of them."

Blair reached up and touched Jim's hand. He was leaning into Jim's legs, as if he was drawing strength from the older man. Daniel saw that his brother was tiring and stated, "Jim, it looks like Blair needs a break. Think you can help me change places with Blair, and then you and Jack can change places."

"That sounds like a plan." stated O'neill, as he helped Ellison ease Tim up so that Daniel and Blair could change positions. After they were settled comfortably, Ellison eased up from the sofa and let the Colonel take his place. Daniel settled back comfortably against Jack's legs and held his little brother, while Fox took up the story in Jim's stead.

"I don't remember a life before that facility, so life outside it was so strange to me at first. The only thing I knew was my brothers, the doctors, the tests and the needles. There were the five of us; we were two years apart in age. Ray, me, Blair, Daniel, and Tim. Ray was so protective of all of us, but we all were protective of Daniel and Tim. It seemed that they were the ones that they concentrated their testing on most. The doctors would bring them back to us, so empty, almost broken, but there was a part of them that would respond to us and come back. We would almost have them back to normal, and . . . **_they_** would come again. Gradually, they slackened off on Daniel and seemed to concentrate their efforts on Tim. We could hear them talking sometimes, not realizing or caring that we were listening. They would say that they were so close, that they were nearing a breakthrough." He looked down, "We were just afraid that their breakthrough was going to kill Tim, or kill something inside him so he would never return to us." He turned to the red-head, Dana, and she put her arm around his shoulders in comfort.

Blair took up the story then. "Then Jim came for us. We were shown a whole new world, one that we knew nothing about, but we were plenty willing to learn. When we had been in the facility, one of the most stringent things we had to endure was our "schooling". When we weren't in Medical Testing, we were in Schooling. We have estimated that approximately 10-12 hours a day was devoted to our learning, and we were taught so many things, so much above and beyond normal schooling." He paused for a moment. "We are all multilingual. Did any of you know that Tim knows nine different living languages, two fantasy languages, plus the language of computer coding?" He looked around at the surprise on the faces of Team Gibbs. "He speaks not only his native English, but German, Russian, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, Ancient Egyptian, Lakota Souix, and Chopec-the language of the Peruvian tribe that took us in. His fantasy languages are Klingon and Elven, and to him, computer coding is a language. Hey, don't look so surprised, while Tim was good with languages, Daniel soaked them up like a sponge, and can fluently speak twenty-three different languages! Fox speaks four, Blair speaks five, and Ray . . . Ray could speak eleven." he ended quietly.

"What happened today? What happened to Ray, and how did Timothy know?" came a confused question from the elderly doctor.

Fox answered his question. "Well, as you have probably guessed, each of us wound up with either some form of law enforcement or military, for our own protection as well as for our contributions. Ray was with the Chicago Police Department. His partner was a deputy liaison officer, RCMP Constable Benton Fraser. Apparently, a routine case went bad today, resulting in a shootout. Ray . . . like the idiot that it is . . . was . . . took a bullet intended for Benton." He paused to control his breathing, "He never made it to the hospital . . . "

Moved by the obvious grief on Mulder's face, Dana and Tobias drew him off to the other side of the room, obviously trying to give him some privacy for a few minutes. Daniel and Blair looked as if they were also struggling to control themselves.

"I'm sorry, so sorry about your brother." Ducky told the other two young men with Tim.

"I do not understand, though," came Ziva's quiet voice. "How did Tim know that something happened to Ray? He received no phone call. It seemed to just "hit" him suddenly."

Daniel looked up from watching Tim. "Well, Ziva, we aren't just your average "normal", out-on-the-street-Joes. We were experimented on and genetically altered. We can speak to each other telepathically. Not with anyone else, just between ourselves. When Ray and Fox were young, when Blair was just a baby, the doctor's had to keep them separated at times because they had not learned to shield themselves yet and were hearing not only their own thoughts in their head, but also the other's thoughts. Ray quickly learned to shield, but it took Fox until Blair was two and I was born before he could shield efficiently. He is still not as good at it as we are, but it is enough that it doesn't drive him crazy. We do tend to influence his dreams when he is asleep though."

"Tim was so hurt, so . . . broken . . . when we were found by Jim that we almost lost him. Ray blamed himself for not protecting him more. It created a bond between them that lasted throughout their lives. Even though they weren't in direct communication, they were always "in each other's heads", if you can understand. It was a way that Ray always knew that Tim was alright. If he ever lost contact with Tim, which happened one time when Tim was in a coma when he was sixteen, Ray became . . . how do I describe it?"

"He became a loose cannon." was Jim's reply. He would do anything, go through anybody, to get to Tim. He felt he had failed him once, he wasn't going to do it again. It took us forever to convince Ray to let Tim go out on his own. He wanted to wrap him in protection like a mother hen would her chicks."

Tony spoke up about something that had been nudging at the edge of his mine. "Wait a minute, it seems like all of you come in pairs. There was Ray with . . . I believe his name was Benton?" he paused while Daniel nodded, "Fox seems to come part and parcel with the female FBI agent, Dana. You, Blair, are attached at the hip to Jim it seems. Daniel has Jack apparently. Who does Tim have? He's the only one that seems to be by himself."

Daniel and Blair looked at each other with a small smile, but Blair is the one that answered the question. "Well, yes, the rest of us come in pairs, but again Tim just had to outdo us. He comes as a set of four." With eyes that seemed to laugh for the first time since they met him, Blair told them, "Tim didn't just settle for a single partner, like the rest of us did, he swooped the three of you up and made you his lifeline. To answer your question, Tony, Tim has Gibbs, you, and Ziva."

The room echoed with silence as this news was digested.

"Um, Tony?" The silence was broken by Mulder. "You know where Tim lives, right?"

"Yes, I've been there several times." came Tony's quick response.

"Think you could go there now and retrieve a something that Tim is going to need in the next couple of hours?" was Mulder's question.

"Well, if it is something that is going to help my Probie, you better believe I can go, Fox. What will he be needing?" was Tony's question.

"Have you seen a guitar when you were there visiting?" was Mulder's response?

"He has three. One of them is practically an antique, one is an acoustic-electric, and one is a Les Paul Special Edition Electric. Which one should I bring, and why will he need his guitar?" was Tony's answer.

"The antique, does it have an archtop with f-fret sound holes? If so, it is the one that he will need, and to answer your second question, it is his outlet for pain in his life. Haven't you ever heard him play when he has had a bad day, or a hard time of something?" Daniel asked.

Jimmy Palmer, who had been quietly listening throughout, answered the question. "After Kate died, I went to his apartment to see how he was doing. His door was unlocked and no-one answered, but I could hear sound through the door and was concerned about him so I went on in. He was sitting in the corner of his livingroom, on the floor with his back against his big bookcase. He had the guitar out and was playing . . . it was heartrending, what he was playing was breathtakingly beautiful and has haunted me since I heard it. I have looked but I have never been able to identify it or find it anywhere. Then again, the night after the Benedict case was over, when no-one could tell if it was his bullet who killed the off-duty detective, I went again to see how he was. The scene was almost identical, he was playing, his door was unlocked, and he barely acknowledged that I was there. I spent the night both times and slept on the couch. I didn't want to leave him alone. Both time, the next morning, he was a little sad, but no-one would ever have known how he was the night before. I have never told anyone, it just seemed so . . . intensely private . . . " He trailed off in embarrassment.

Ziva spoke quietly, "I, too, have heard him play. After the incident at the woman's prison, I went over to his apartment just to talk, to make sure where his mind was and what he was thinking. I fixed a simple dinner and we ate, then he asked me if I would mind if he played for me. You are right, Jimmy, haunting is a good word for his music. I asked him the composer, he told me that he made it up as he went. That he just made the motions, the music came as it would."

Everyone, including the brothers, was quiet after Jimmy and Ziva's revelations.

Tony nodded to Mulder, turned to Ziva with a questioning look, and she nodded "Yes, Tony. I will go too. We need to check on Jett, anyway. We will get his guitar and bring it to him."

"Ziva, bring Jett back with you, too. He might be able to provide some comfort, and if not Tim will not need to be taking care of him for a bit. I can take him to my place tonight if need be." Gibbs ordered softly.

"Yes, Gibbs. Come, Tony. I have my key to Tim's apartment. We will be back soon." Turning to the brothers, she stated simply "S'il vous plaît prendre soin de mon petit frère?"

"Nous allons, notre sœur." Daniel replied as she turned to go.

No-one noticed Gibb's small smile at the exchange.

"I have a question for you, Fox. Well, I have two questions. Do you prefer to be called Fox or Mulder? I have heard you called both today." The question came quietly from Jimmy.

"Most people just call me Mulder, usually only my brothers call me Fox. I've never really thought about it before. You may use either you feel comfortable with, as you are part of my brother's family." Fox told him.

"Okay, I prefer to call you Fox, if you don't mind. My other question is . . . how did you get by with threatening to have SecNav replaced?" came Jimmy's question.

Heads popped up in interest all around the room, except for the brother's themselves.

"Oh, that's a question I can answer even." came the answer from Colonel Jack O'Neill. "These boys are classified as "National Treasures" and have a direct line to not only the Director of Defense, but to the President of the good ol' US of A. Basically, they all five could have had a free ride with ultimate luxury, but all five wanted their lives to be as near to normal as they could get them."

"Near to normal? Yeah, right!" came a snorted reply from Daniel.

"You know what I mean, you Space-Monkey. You boys could literally go anywhere and do anything that you wanted to do, but apparently you are all right at home doing what you are doing. It's not my fault none of your are more mercenary or money-hungry than you are!" came the lightly teasing rebuttal from Jack.

"What do you mean "National Treasures"? And just how highly are these guys classified?" This came from Gibbs, who was going to add more when he was suddenly interrupted by an exclamation of dismay from Ducky.

"Oh, my dear young man!" was Ducky's shocked exclamation as he just stared at Tim.

"Finally did the math, didn't you?" Blair's voice broke through the shock the ME was exhibiting.

"How? . . . Why in the world? . . . He is so young!" Ducky stumbled over what he was trying to say.

Math? Gibbs wondered. What math. Wait a minute, Ellison said something . . . fourteen years ago, Tim was only 10. He has been on my team now for five years. He was only 19 when I placed him on the MCRT? He jumped to his feet in agitation, "He was just a KID! I was reluctant to bring him on at first when I thought he was 22, because I thought he was too young. Now you tell me that he was actually three years younger than I thought? How could you . . . why would they let him . . . his record was falsified!"

Vance fielded this one. "Yes, Jethro. He was just 19 when you brought him aboard the MCRT, but remember, he had graduated both MIT and Johns Hopkins with Master's degrees in Computer Forensics and Biomedical Engineering. He then completed training at FLETC. Those are all in his records. What is not in there is that he has any number of Associates Degrees, and as of now he also has Master's in Music Theory and is currently working on a Masters of Science in Artificial Intelligence, and he has a PhD in Psychology. Special Agent McGee is actually "Doctor" McGee if you really get down to it!"

Gibbs sat back down rather stunned. He knew that McGee soaked up knowledge like a sponge, but just how smart was "his kid"?

Daniel took up the explanation. "You have to remember, we are the results of genetic manipulation. Most of that went into our intelligence. The highest recorded IQ in the United States was 190, until us. When we were tested, they had to invent a whole new scale. Starting with the oldest to youngest, Ray's IQ was 216, Fox stands at 228, Blair is evaluated at 232, my last eval was 244, and Tim's last was 251 and still climbing."

"We each have an area of study that we prefer, Rays was Human and Behavioral Sciences. Fox has a PhD in Psychology and another in Criminal Behavior-he is the ultimate profiler-you may have read some of his published works under the pseudonym of M.F. Luder. He also has a Master's Degree in Occult Sciences, which is why his fellow FBI agents have given him the nickname "Spooky" Mulder. Blair has a PhD in Anthropological Science and a Master's in Antropological Archeology. I have a degree in Archeology, Philology, and Ancient Civilizations, and a PhD in Psychology. You have heard Tim's educational resume'. We are . . . different. Our minds don't operate on the same set of cues as others do."

Blair continued, "It took Daniel all of two weeks to study some artifacts and reach a conclusion that it had taken a full staff of scientists almost three years to reach, and he went beyond their findings and reached the conclusion. Fox finds and studies things that most people don't believe exist. I have realized a dream and discovered something ancient in this world that was thought to be just a myth. Tim has made lightspeed advances in computer sciences and developed programs that have been implimented by government resources in the military and various private sectors. "

"All of us have trouble interacting with "normal" people and we are somewhat . . . sensitive . . . of our differences. Do any of you know how many hours of sleep Tim usually gets in a week? Usually somewhere between 21 and 25, unless he is sick, and then you can't wake him up with an atomic blast. That is only 3-4 hours a night. We are all like that. Even when we sleep, our minds are busy. You have NO idea how many times one of us has gone to sleep with a problem, only to wake up with the solution in the morning, or our minds are so active that sleep is impossible to achieve."

Fox stepped in with the next pieces of the puzzle. "When Tim was 16 and wrecked his Camaro, he had severe brain trauma. He was in a coma for two weeks. The doctors were . . . let's just say that they wanted to "prepare" us for what they considered "the inevitable". Ray was inconsolable. He wouldn't leave Tim's side, at one point we actually had to have him sedated so he would get some rest. He slept for a whole five hours, took a shower, changed clothes, and was back. When Tim woke up, the doctors were astonished. They could not believe that there was no damage from the injury. They studied him, over and over, and brought back horrible memories for him because they kept putting him through barrage after barrage of testing. Ray was getting more and more angry, we all were because of what it was doing to Tim. Blair and Jim had bonded from the rescue, and Jim called Jack for help, looking to see if he knew someone who would intercede on Tim's behalf. Jack has "contacts" man! Let me tell you it wasn't long after that, we were put on "The Protected Species" list and could pretty much pave our own ways." He was quiet for a minute, "It took us months to ease Tim's fear and stop his nightmares. To this day, he will do anything to avoid going to a hospital for any reason." He turned to Ducky. "Thank you for being his personal physician. We're sorry we couldn't turn over his complete record to you. Now that you are in the loop, we will see that you get his whole record, but you must make sure it is secure and that NO-ONE can access it but you, and possibly Jimmy as back-up."

He looked at the people surrounding him and his brothers, "The one thing we all fear is exposure. The people who ordered the original testing, with us as subjects, have never been caught. They are still out there. That is why each of us are "with" a protected level of security, either law enforcement or military. Gibbs, Tim was "allowed" to be placed on your team because of your record, and because your team has a history of "taking care" of one another. When Caitlyn Todd was killed during the hunt for Ari, SecNav and the SecDef were wanting to pull Tim from your team because of the danger and he was so new to your team. Tim put his foot down, and believe me, he can be a stubborn little cuss when he wants to be, and he told them that "_they could remove him when he was cold and dead, not a minute sooner, because he was sticking with his team until Kate's killer was brought in_". We weren't happy that he was in such danger, but we repected his decision, and he proved to be right. This is the right place for him and you have protected him well."

Just then the door opened and Tony and Ziva came in, Tony carrying a guitar case and Ziva holding Jett's leash. The dog was excited, he knew where he was, and he was looking for Tim. When Ziva unclipped the leash from his collar, he went directly to his master, nuzzling him softly, and whining when there was no response. Blair reached out and brushed his hand over Jett's head, scratching gently behind his ears. "Yeah, boy, we know. Just be patient, he'll be back with us soon."

He turned back to look at Daniel, holding Tim. "Daniel, we need to move you. Gibbs, you need to be where Daniel is now. Tim will be waking soon, and he will need your support. Tony, you on his left, Ziva, you on his right. I will be next to Ziva, Daniel will be next to Tony, and Fox, you will be in front of them. Ducky, you need to sit on the couch to one side of Gibbs, Jimmy, you on the couch on the other side. Don't all be touching him at one time, but we need to make sure that at least one of us, besides Gibbs, is touching him at all times."

Jack and Jim again helped lift Tim while Daniel moved out and Gibbs settled in. They gently lay Tim in Gibbs lap, slighly on his side, facing toward Gibbs. Gibbs put his left arm supportively around Tim's shoulders, and used his right to lightly pet his hair, like Fox had done earlier. The others gathered into position, with the dog laying on the couch behind Gibbs, between Ducky and Jimmy. They waited, and they talked . . .

Gibbs listened with half an ear while the brothers fielded questions and told more of their experiences. Most of his attention was on the man he was holding, one of "his kids", the "baby" of his little family. His thoughts turned to Tim's early years on his team. His lack of self-confidence, his stuttering when he felt pressured, his almost obsessive need to please, all signs Gibbs felt that pointed to the true age of his agent. He had known that Tim was the youngest field agent on record when he promoted him, but his records had indicated that he was 22-years-old at that time. Now to find out that he had even been younger than was thought . . .

Suddenly his senses alerted him to a change in tension in Tim's body. He could feel the relaxation being replaced by a slight tension, a tightening of muscles. Tim stirred, turned his head slightly to look up at him through wounded half-slit eyes, "B'ss?" He breathed, "B'ss, Ray's g'ne. I'm 'lone, sc'rd . . ." things he would never have admitted if he realized exactly what he was saying.

Gibbs tightened his arms around his boy, holding him securely, and told him, "Never alone, Tim. Not ever again. I may not be "in your head", but I'm here, and you are never going to worry about "alone" again, you hear me? I told you years ago, you are mine, you belong to me. Rest, son, rest." Gibbs looked up at those surrounding him. "I'm here for you, Tim. Your team is here for you. And your brothers are here for you. You are never, never alone."

An answer in the form of a small, sad smile appeared on Tim's face. "M'family. All here?"

Fox answered. "We're here, Tim. Daniel, Blair, and I, we are here. Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, they are here. Even Ducky and Jimmy. Like Gibbs said, rest for a bit." He reached out and held Tim's upper arm, as if to reassure him that he was there, and that he wasn't going anywhere.

Blair reached over and picked up Tim's guitar out of the case, laying it in his lap, and softly strumming a few chords, not really playing a song, just making pleasing sounds ring softly from the old archtop. Tim listened to the music as if he heard something in it that no-one else was aware of. He turned slightly in Gibbs grasp, so that he could just see his brother sitting there softly strumming the guitar. With Gibbs assistance, he changed positions, laying with his back up against his boss, his head resting at Gibbs shoulder close to his neck. Daniel reached out and brushed back his hair, sitting closer so that Tim could reach him better. Tim reached out and lightly brushed his hand across the back of Daniel's, as if asking permission. Daniel simply turned over his hand and grasped Tim's, two brothers each giving and receiving comfort. They simply sat and listened for a long five minutes.

Shifting slightly, Blair stopped playing and handed the guitar over to Gibbs, who helped position it so it was comfortable for Tim. Running his hands lovingly over the antique instrument, Tim cradled it in his arms and began hesitantly playing. Softly he played, music slowly filling the room, sad, beautiful, unforgettable.

Gibbs watched while Tim played, noticing his unusual style of playing. Long, thin, nimble fingers caressed the neck of the guitar, chords interchanged without hesitation or pause while his other hand had every finger moving, each assigned a different string to play. While Gibbs was unused to this type of playing, he acknowledge that it was more than effective, it resulted in a sound that was almost alive.

Tim, unaware of the close scrutiny from his boss, simply poured his heart and soul out through his fingers, the well-loved instrument gifting him with a release of the pain and grief he was feeling. He easily improvised, mindlessly letting his fingers take the lead. The others listened as he played, each deeply moved by the intimacy of Tim's music. He was expressing his pain, they were witnessing his release. It was cathartic for all of them.

Gradually, Tim's posture began to change as he raised himself slightly higher, enabling him to hold the guitar more easily. The music also began to change, then suddenly paused for a long few minutes. No-one said anything, just watched. Then, surprisingly, came opening chords that were recognizable, a song that was known by some in the room.

Blair began, soon joined by Daniel, then finally Fox, as they sang softly along while Tim played, _"__Miracles appear - In the strangest of places - Fancy meeting you here - The last time I saw you - Was just out of Houston - Sit down let me buy you a beer - Your presence is welcome - __With me and my friend here - This is a hangout of mine - We come here quite often - And listen to music - Partaking of yesterday's wine - Yesterday's wine."_

The music played softly for a moment and then they joined in again, "_I'm yesterday's wine - Aging with time - Like yesterday's wine - Yesterday's wine - We're yesterday's wine - Aging with time - Like yesterday's wine. - You give the appearence - Of one widely travelled - I'll bet you've seen - Things in your time - So sit down beside me - And tell me your story - If you think - You'll like yesterday's wine - Yesterday's wine - We're yesterday's wine - Aging with time - Like yesterday's wine." _Again Tim played a guitar solo, then,_ "__Yesterday's wine - We're yesterday's wine - Aging with time - Like yesterday's wine"_

Everyone in the room was waited while the music softly faded into silence. The brothers sat with heads bowed until Daniel happened to glance up, noticing the others watching silently. "That was Ray's song." He stated softly. "When we were younger, before we all separated, we chose songs for ourselves, that we felt said something about who we were. Ray chose "_Yesterday's wine"_ by Willie Nelson. He said there was something in that song that "spoke" to him, and it seemed appropriate, so . . . "

Heads turned as chords began to play softly again, this time, many in the room identified the song that was beginning. Again, it was Blair that softly started the song, but this time, Fox joined in almost immediately, with Daniel last. "_A winter's day - In a deep and dark December - I am alone - Gazing from my window To the streets below -On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow - I am a rock -I am an island.  
I've built walls- A fortress steep and mighty - That none may penetrate - I have no need of friendship - Friendship causes pain - It's laughter and it's loving - I disdain  
I am a rock - I am an island  
Don't talk of love - Well I've heard the word before - It's sleeping in my memory - I won't disturb the slumber - Of feelings that have died - If I never loved, I never would have cried  
I am a rock - I am an island  
I have my books - And my poetry to protect me - I am shielded in my armor -Hiding in my room -Safe within my womb - I touch no one, and no one touches me  
I am a rock -I am an island  
And a rock feels no pain - And an island never cries" _

As this song came to an end, everyone's eyes were on the bowed head of Fox Mulder, sitting silently beside his youngest brother, trying in vain to appear untouched by the song. Again, no-one spoke, and then the music flowed from Tim's fingers again.

This time it was Daniel who started the song, with Fox and Blair joining in moments later, but all were surprised when the sure strong baritone of Jim Ellison joined in. "S_ometimes in our lives we all have pain - We all have sorrow - But if we are wise we know that there's - Always tomorrow.  
Lean on me when you're not strong and I'll be your friend - I'll help you carry on - For it won't be long till I'm gonna need - Somebody to lean on. Please swallow your pride if I have things  
You need to borrow - For no one can fill those of your needs - that you won't let show. Just call on me brother when you need a hand - We all need somebody to lean on - I just might have a problem that you'd understand - We all need somebody to lean on - Lean on me when you're not strong - And I'll be your friend - I'll help you carry on - For it won't be long till 'm gonna need - Somebody to lean on. - Just call on me brother when you need a hand - w e all need somebody to lean on - I just might have a problem that you'd understand - We all need somebody to lean on  
If there is a load you have to bear - That you can't carry - I'm right up the road, I'll share your load - if you just call me - Call me (if you need a friend) - Call me - Call me (if you need a friend) - Call me (if you ever need a friend)._

The song echoed to an end, and Blair leaned back against Jim's shoulder, as if gaining strength from the older man. Everyone in the room knew that must be Blair's song, and they waited in expectation for Tim to start again, for Daniel still had a song waiting. They weren't disappointed as soon Tim's slim fingers started moving on the strings again. This time, the beat was a bit stronger, the opening refrain rang out, then the brothers joined in, singing.

_Hello my friend - We meet again - It's been a while -Where should we begin?- Feels like forever -Within my heart - Are memories -Of perfect love that -You gave to me -Oh, I remember -When you are with me -I'm free, I'm careless -I believe -Above all the others -We'll fly -This brings tears -To my eyes -My sacrifice - We've seen our share -Of ups and downs -Oh, how quickly life -Can turn around -In an instant -It feels so good to reunite -Within yourself and -Within your mind -Let's find peace there -'Cause when you are -With me -I'm free, I'm careless -I believe -Above all the others -We'll fly -This brings tears -To my eyes -My sacrifice - I just want to -Say hello again -I just want to -Say hello again -When you are with me -I'm free, I'm careless -I believe -Above all the others -We'll fly -This brings tears -To my eyes -'Cause when you are -With me -I'm free, I'm careless -I believe -Above all the others -We'll fly -This brings tears -To my eyes -My sacrifice -My sacrifice -(I just want to -Say hello again) -I just want to -Say hello again -My sacrifice._

Silence reigned again, as the song echoed to it's end. This time, Daniel sat still with Jack's hand comfortingly on his shoulder. Fox scooted around so that he sat closer to his brother, reaching out to ruffle his hair, "We know, Daniel, we _know_ . . . " he softly said.

The guitar was silent for a while, Tim sitting more than laying against Gibbs, with a lost look on his face. Blair reached over, grasping his little brother's shoulder, "Yours now, Tim. We need it too, you know."

Tim's eyes lifted to those of Blair and studied him for a moment, "I will . . . I just . . . Okay." He gave in.

The music started again, soft, plaintive, rolling guitar licks sliding softly one into another in the style of American Folk Music combined with a bit of Bluegrass, then surprising everyone, he began the song in a clear ringing tenor voice, singing the entire first verse solo. "_When I get where I'm going - On the far side of the sky - The first thing that I'm gonna do - Is spread my wings and fly. - I'm gonna land beside a lion - And run my fingers through his mane - Or I might find out what it's like - To ride a drop of rain.  
_His brothers joined him on the chorus, _"__Yeah when I get where I'm going There'll be only happy tears - I will shed the sins and struggles - I have carried all these years - And I'll leave my heart wide open - I will love and have no fear - Yeah when I get where I'm going - Don't cry for me down here._

Again came Tim's voice, singing solo, "_I'm gonna walk with my grand daddy - And he'll match me step for step - And I'll tell him how I missed him - Every minute since he left - Then I'll hug his neck._

His brothers voices joined with him to repeat the chorus, then Tim's voice continued onward with the next verse.

"_So much pain and so much darkness - In this world we stumble through - All these questions I can't answer - So much work to do - But when I get where I'm going - And I see my maker's face - I'll stand forever in the light - Of his amazing grace - Yeah when I get where I'm going - There'll be only happy tears - Hallelu- u-jah - I will love and have no fear - When I get where I'm going - Yeah when I get where I'm go-o-ing." _

Tim finished playing out the song on the old guitar, then simply lay it down on his lap, head down, with tears shining wetly on his face for the first time since awakening.

"Oh, Timothy . . . " came the soft voice of Ducky. "My boy, how can you hold such pain without breaking? You are so much stronger than any of us have given you credit for. May I?" and he reached out his arms to the young man he loved as much as a son, or possibly, given the age difference and Ducky's regard for Gibbs, a grandson. Tim rose to his knees to meet Ducky and melted into his embrace, clinging as tightly to him as he had to Fox earlier. Ducky gently rubbed circles on his back, while Tim finally cried out his pain into the gentle mans' shoulder. Ziva approached both men, tentatively putting her arms around them both. They each extended an arm, inviting them into their small zone of comfort. Tony and Jimmy soon joined them, gently rubbing Tim's arms in a gesture of comfort.

Tobias and Vance reached down and helped Gibbs to stand, he had sat on the floor so long he had become stiff. He looked around. Blair was standing with his head cushioned on Jim's shoulder and Jim's arm across his shoulders, receiving comfort from his guardian. Jack was standing shoulder to shoulder with Daniel, who was leaning up against a wall, his glasses in his hand and his head bowed. Fox stood looking out the conference room window, Dana Scully next to him with her hand on his shoulder in comfort.

As Tim's grief gradually began to subside a bit, he drew back, scrubbing a hand against his cheek to dry the remaining tears. "Sorry, Ducky, I just . . . it's so hard . . . I've never felt like this before. I feel like a part of me is gone, and I don't know how to fix it. I'm so confused."

"Timothy, that is perfectly normal due to these circumstances. You are doing just what needs to be done at this time. You are taking comfort from those who love you, and giving comfort to those you love. That is what families do at times like these. Families heal together. No-one goes alone."

This apparently struck a chord with the younger man, as he thought about what his friend had said for a long moment, then nodded, accepting what he had been told. His eyes turned, searching out those of his Team Leader. "Boss, I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean . . . I broke down, and I . . . " his attempted explanation stumbled to a halt when Gibbs reached out and also embraced him.

"Tim, you have nothing whatsoever to be sorry for. You have experienced something today that I wish I could prevent anyone from ever having to feel again. The loss of someone you love and depend on is never easy, and the bonds that you boys have are deep and strong, anyone can see that. Just remember this, you aren't alone," and he looked up, "none of you boys are, and we want you to know that we will be here with you all through this. We will help you through, you just have to let us."

Ducky spoke up behind them, "Yes, Jethro, I think that out of this loss today, we have all gained something. We have gained new family, and as such, this loss has enriched us. Your brother died a hero, giving his life for another's, but he also gave you a gift with his sacrifice, he brought you to new family and friends. Those are the true riches of this life."

"You are indeed a wise man, Ducky," said Blair, his eyes looking deeply into the older man's, "I believe I could learn a lot from you if you would let me."

"And I see something in you that I believe is worth learning about, also, young man. Please," and with this Ducky encompassed everyone in the room, "we have been brought together through pain and sorrow, which is a bond that is not easily broken. Let us allow ourselves to all get to know each other better. It will not only help you boys heal, but it will greatly enrich our lives. You boys may have had a rough start in life, but you have experienced so much beyond that. I can see that you each have so much heart and bravery in you. I would be so honored to be a part of your lives if you would allow me to be.


End file.
